Cops Can Smoke Weed Off-Duty: 5 NJ Stories You Need To Read

Good evening, New Jersey Patch readers! We've assembled some of the most share-worthy stories from the state for today, just for you.

Here are the top five stories from New Jersey:

1. Authorities said a 30-year-old man faces multiple arson charges in a series of house fires in South Jersey. A home was destroyed in 1 of the 2 incidents under investigation, officials said. (Read more on Patch.)

2. A social worker stands accused of committing $1.7 million in Medicaid fraud, after the state comptroller said she submitted inaccurate and inadequate documentation on hundreds of claims. (Read more on Patch.)

3. Yet another Trader Joe's food item has been recalled because of possible foreign objects, the specialty grocer said. First it was rocks in cookies, then bugs in soup...now, it's possible pieces of metal that could be in a certain flavor of TJ's crackers. (Read more on Patch.)

4. A newly-signed bill will officially recognize Central Jersey as a region, and the state tourism office will promote it as a go-to destination in the Garden State. A sponsor of the bill said Central Jersey's recognition as a hub of tourism, innovation, and history "is long overdue."(Read more on Patch.)

5. Recent decisions upheld a New Jersey police officer's right to use cannabis off-duty, after four officers were fired in the same city over the issue. State law allows police to consume cannabis off-duty, as long as they're sober on the job, and one mayor says he'll fight the officers' possible reinstatement. (Read more on Patch.)